Noveon laser for Toenail Fungus Infection

There are an estimated $4.0 billion spent on fungal infections, including $1.5 billion for onychomycosis or toenail fungus. Around 35 million people in the United States, and 700 million worldwide, suffer from toenail fungus. Patients and physicians alike have few or no treatment options due to the safety concerns associated oral medications available as the current standard of treatment. Many of these strong drugs can cause liver damage! This is certainly a risk that many are not willing to take.
There are home remedies and there are thousands of products being pushed on the internet, however, the solution for toenail fungus remains elusive. Dr. Marc Katz, a Tampa podiatrist, sees dozens of people each week complaining of the unsightly nail deformities. These patients have spent hundreds of dollars on remedies with no success. They have become so frustrated, says Dr. Katz. People just want to wear their sandals in sunny Florida without feeling self-conscious.
I’m always looking for the most advanced technology to help my patients and now I’ve found the answer, LASER. And not just any laser therapy. In my opinion, the Noveon seems to be the winner.
At first, Dr. Katz investigated the Pinpointe laser but was not impressed. His opinion was that the laser had not been properly studied and he notes that the Pinpointe still has NOT been FDA approved for fungal nails or onychomycosis in the US. In addition, the Pinpointe uses high energy ultraviolet radiation that has a higher incidence of burns and can turn normal cells into potentially cancer causing cells.
The Pinpointe beam is not controlled and is dependent on the user placing the beam correctly and keeping it at a set distance. Without this control the treatment success can vary and spots can be missed or there can be burns to the normal tissue. Katz stated that the Noveon has overcome this problem by using pods that control the distance and the amount of the beam contacting the nail. The actual laser device controls the treatment seamlessly allowing for the best outcome with a reproducible dose of laser at a specified distance every time.
The Noveon uses 2 different wavelengths of low energy near infrared beams that produce death using light(not heat) without harming the normal tissues. Katz states that this allows for more thorough treatments and better results with less chance of injury. Light energy is used on the nail producing death of the fungus without producing significant heat. The surrounding skin and tissue is not damaged due to the unique controlled technology used by the Noveon.
If you are already going to have the treatment and spend the money you should have the best, said Katz. And he believes that it is worth the wait for FDA approval of the Noveon.
Dr. Katz has been chosen by Nomir medical to be one of the early adopters of this cutting edge technology to get rid of toenail fungus. The laser is powerful, proven and allows for reproducible results in a safe environment. Patients are already waiting in line for the treatments, says Katz. The treatment is not covered by insurance but the demand is still huge! The cost will likely be between 800 and 1200 dollars for the full treatment course.
There is no pain involved with the procedure. Most patients will undergo 3 separate treatment sessions with virtually no side-effects. Each treatment session lasts 20 minutes or less and is performed in a comfortable office setting.
So get ready to say goodbye to unsightly toenail fungus.

Published At: Isnare Free Articles Directory http://www.isnare.com
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CryoMax versus ordinary cryosurgery for foot pain

Cryosurgery has been performed on the foot for over 5 years.  In its early days, there was no ultrasound guidance.  An incision was made and the probe was placed through the tiny incision to the area where there was the most pain.  The procedure was then performed in that area.  The results were decent at best and not very reproducible.  Most of the doctors that perform cryosurgery today perform it in this manner.  With better visualization so easily achieved with high powered color ultrasound, Dr. Katz prefers his method over the blind procedure and over the procedure that is done with a black and white ultrasound.  Dr. Katz calls his procedure CryoMax.   Dr. Katz has developed this technique and it has been refined with several of his colleagues and they are some of the only cryosurgeons performing this advanced procedure in the U.S.

CryoMax is a  much more precise procedure done with the aid of an ultrahigh resolution magnifying digital ultrasound capable of Doppler visualization of blood vessels.  The nerves are identified in close proximity to the vessels.  When CryoMax is performed, the Cryosurgeon is looking directly at the structures that he is freezing and can actually measure the area of nerve tissue that is frozen.  There is little doubt what is being frozen and whether the probe is in the correct area.  Without Doppler Ultrasound, the procedure is done blindly.  The percentage of success is much higher with color ultrasound guidance than without it. 

The general public needs to understand that because of the cost of proper training, equipment  and market pressures, many doctors perform the procedure blindly and have had little to no training.

To date, Dr. Katz is the only nerve cryosurgeon performing the CryoMax technique in the State of Florida and one of the few in the United States.   If you are going to have the procedure done, wouldn’t you prefer to have it done correctly to maximize the pain relief?